You Want S'more?
by Amanda and Dai
Summary: An Utena/Yami no Matsuei crossover! What happens when Tsuzuki and Muraki use an online dating service and their e-mails get mixed up on the way to the reciepients? Contains loads of SLASH between Utena and Yami characters (primary pairing is Muraki/Touga!
1. Wonky Connections

tougamuraki.html Disclaimer: Neither of us owns any of the characters from Yami no Matsuei or from Shoujo Kakumei Utena. Those both belong to their respective creators. That means, we don't own Muraki, Touga, Tsuzuki, Akio, Hisoka, the Gushoushin brothers, Nanami, Nanami's cronies, Anthy, the Shadow Play Girls, Dios, Watari, Saionji, or any of the settings used in this story. We also don't own Tokomon (from Digimon) or Minako (from Sailor Moon). *sigh* How we wish we owned all the bishounen, though. *drool* We also do not own the song "Deep as You Go". That belongs to October Project. However, we do own a couple things in this story! We created Rob and Bob, all the e-mail/web addresses mentioned (except one, which is explained later in this disclaimer), the escalator in the back of the Duel Forest, and above all, we own ourselves! Which means if you want to use them, you can't without our permission, so there! Also, we do realize that www.kakumei.com is really the URL for a Japanese website (can't figure out what for though. Something digital), but we honestly didn't know about it until after we had written it in. So please, forgive us!! Also, we don't recommend the use of s'more ingredients as play foods unless you know how to do it safely. Be careful with the hot stuff. There have been known deaths by chocolate… Last note: marshmallow insides probably don't really melt over a fire like Touga says they do, but we're not totally positive on that. For the purposes of this fic, just go with it. Now that that's all settled, on with the show!! 

****** 

**You Want S'more? -- Chapter 1**

The cherry blossoms swirled through the air in Meifu, land of the dead. It was unearthly beautiful for such a place—sunny, warm, colors of blossoms and flowers covering the environment. Tsuzuki Asato walked along the cement path to the JuOhCho building, kicking up petals as he went. He had his head down, trying to avoid looking at anything in his way. He was late again, and he knew what would await him in the building. Another verbal thrashing. Great. He had barely set foot on the steps when he heard it. 

"BAAAAAAAAAAAKAAAAA!!!!!" 

Hisoka Kurosaki screamed, staring down at Tsuzuki from the top step. The younger boy glared at Tsuzuki with dark eyes, his mouth twitching. He ran down and shook Tsuzuki by the shoulders. 

"Tsuzukiiiii! You're such a dolt! Late again! I—" 

"Give it a break, Hisoka…" Tsuzuki started into the building. 

"H-HEY! Are you listening!" 

Of course he was. And he was tired of it. Hisoka was always screaming, always fuming, always "baka"ing his way along the halls, never cracking a smile even at Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki thought it was ridiculous. He knew Hisoka had had a terrible life, but he thought the kid should at least grin once in a while… 

He trudged down to the library to avoid the screaming boy, and slammed the door behind him. The Gushoushin brothers, the chicken-like librarians, looked annoyed but allowed him to walk over without a verbal whiplash. 

"What's the problem Tsuzuki-san?" 

"We need to get me a new partner," he said bluntly. 

"I like Hisoka," both chickens replied smugly at once. 

"You're both such a big help." 

Tsuzuki slumped down next to the older brother and asked to borrow the computer. If he couldn't get a new partner in Meifu, maybe it was time to check out the Internet. He waited impatiently as the computer dialed and loaded the homepage. As the site loaded, a large ad banner above the page caught his eye: 

LONELY? SICK OF BICKERING WITH YOUR PRESENT PARTNER?   
THEN GO TO WWW.MY-E-PARTNER.COM AND FIND SOMEONE YOU CAN COMPLY WITH!!! 

'That sounds good,' thought Tsuzuki, 'Then again, anything sounds better than Hisoka.' 

He clicked on the banner and a garish red and blue page came up, stating: 

WELCOME TO MY E-PARTNER. LOOK AT THE PROFILES TO FIND YOUR NEW E-PARTNER!!! 

Tsuzuki clicked profiles, then scrolled through them hastily. 

"Let's see… looking for mysterious, pretty guys with interests in unusual things…" After a few minutes, he found a profile that looked interesting. It read: 

_TOUGA KIRYUU_   
_Konnichiwa minna!___

_I am the Student Council President at Ohtori academy, and I am looking for a partner to come join me. I've got a loyal council backing me, rule over most of the school, and girls falling at my feet! Though if you're a guy, I can have guys fall at my feet too… Depends on my mood. ^_^ And if I like you, who knows, maybe we'll have some fun. *Wink* So if you're lonely… drop me a line, baby.___

_Anyway, I enjoy duels, making speeches, and, oh yeah, being a major playboy. If I sound like the one for you, write me at tougaparty@kakumei.com_

Tsuzuki didn't even take a second glance. He hurriedly scribbled down the e-mail address on a piece of paper and closed the window just as one of the Gushoushin peeked over his shoulder. Tsuzuki hid the address and shoved the little chicken aside. 

"Hey," he said, "can I have a little PRIVACY?!" The chicken shrugged. Tsuzuki opened his e-mail, typing in the address. Now was the hard part: how to market himself. 

_Hello Touga Kiryuu: I'm dead!_ __

Nah. Tsuzuki deleted that and started again. 

_Dear Mr. Touga:_

That sounded to stiff. He deleted his text yet again. 

_My dear soon to be partner:_

That worked. Tsuzuki grinned as he typed.__

_My name is Tsuzuki Asato, and I am an employee of Meifu…_

****** 

In a dark room, lit only by the soft glow of a computer screen, swift fingers typed away at the keyboard. The owner of the fingers was writing an e-mail. A response e-mail, actually. For something, or rather someone, had caught this person's attention. 

_Dear Mr. Right:___

_I recently looked at your profile on My E-Partner. May I say, you seem like a stunning person, in terms of personality and appearance._

The person smiled as he looked at the picture listed on the website. He continued his typing.__

_I feel we should meet, for I am in dire need. The current object of my affections just doesn't seem to return my sincere approaches._

The person let out a small chuckle as he typed, "sincere approaches".__

_And so, I need you to be that special someone for me. Your interests in manipulation seem particularly intriguing, since I'm into a bit of that myself. And don't worry about being in need of money for dates. I am a doctor!___

_I'll see you soon,___

_Signed, Muraki Kazutaka_

Muraki gladly pressed the send button, and stretched as he watched his message get delivered to ex-dios@kakumei.com. He grinned, shutting down the computer for the night, leaving himself in pitch darkness. 

"Soon, Akio Ohtori. Soon," Muraki whispered to no one in particular. 

****** 

"Yo Bob!" called Rob, a programmer for Kakumei.com. 

"Eh, what is it?" replied Bob, hurrying over to Rob's station. 

"This e-mail service is acting up again," said Rob, gesturing to his computer. 

"Again?" 

"Yup." 

"Shit." 

"What should I do?" 

"Well, how 'bout this?" 

"No! Not the big red button!" 

**BOOM!!!**

The static crackled through the air after Bob pushed the big red button. The two programmers were charred to a crisp. 

"I guess it'll be a 'lil wonky for a while, eh?" said Bob, nervously. 

Rob grumbled, "No sex tonight." 

"Aw, Rob!" 

****** 

That night, two e-mails were trying to make it through the wonky circuits of Kakumei.com. After getting plenty mixed up along the way, a message to tougaparty@kakumei.com landed in one mailbox, and a message to ex-dios@kakumei.com landed in another. Seems fine, right? WRONG. 

****** 

Touga sat in front of the computer, impatiently waiting for it to dial. Behind him, his sister Nanami peered over his shoulder and pulled on his dress shirt. 

"Toooouuuugaaaa!! You promised to take me to the zooooo!!!" 

"Nanami, I would love to take you to the zoo, but it'll have to wait until I check my e-mail, all right?" Touga clicked on his e-mail icon. Nanami wandered off to the corner of the room to pout. Touga squealed when the "New Message" icon blinked. His sister rolled her eyes. 

Touga opened the message, then narrowed his eyes, puzzled. Who the hell was kazutakam@nagasakigeneral.org? Nagasaki General was a hospital!! For a moment Touga wondered if the letter was from some crazed RN looking for companionship. Then he shrugged. How bad could it be? He started to read. 

_Dear Mr. Right:___

_I recently looked at your profile…_

****** 

Akio Ohtori sat at his computer, clicking on the e-mail icon. He grinned as the "New Message" icon blinked and uttered a low beep. He opened the message and was pleased to see that the subject line read "MY E-PARTNER". He studied the e-mail address with interest: tsuzuki@meifu.net. A little strange, but he'd seen worse. He opened the message and began to read… and paused midway, his eyes wide. 

"Just who the hell IS this person??" 

****** 

Bob sat in his office at Kakumei.com, trying to fix the broken e-mail connections. He fumed out loud as he worked, his eyes narrowed in irritation. 

"How could he? That jerk Rob! I can't believe he's denying me love 'cuz of this!! If it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be getting any!" 

He typed quickly, still angry, then paused for a moment. A sudden grin lit up his face. 

"If I work faster and fix this, I wonder… will Rob take back the "no sex" thing?…" 

****** 

Ten minutes later… 

****** 

Bob grinned as a large alert on his computer screen flashed "REPAIRS COMPLETED". 

"I am the greatest! Kakumei.com is up and running!" Bob cheered to himself. "Oh Rob, come take a look at what I diiiiid!" 

****** 

As Bob finished his work, two response e-mails were sent out along the newly fixed pathways of Kakumei.com… 


	2. Mixed Up Meetings

tougamuraki2.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 2**

****** 

The next day… 

****** 

Tsuzuki stood gaping at the display in front of him. 

"This is it?!" Tsuzuki said in awe, staring at the massive campus that was Ohtori Academy. It was the biggest school he'd ever seen, in his life and afterlife! Looking down at the printed e-mail in his hand, Tsuzuki read the next part of the directions. 

"Okay, now which way to the planetarium…" he mumbled, scratching his head and trying to figure out how to find his way around the campus. Muttering some curse words about the campus designers, he walked through the gate of the school. 

He had walked not five steps when he bumped into somebody, and went sprawling to the ground. 

"Watch where you're going… huh?!" Tsuzuki grumbled, but stopped when he saw whom he had bumped into. 

"Tsuzu, what brings you here?" Muraki smiled, offering a hand to help Tsuzuki up. 

"I could ask you the same question!" 

"My presence here is none of your business," 

"Stop being cryptic!" 

"But it's so much fun!" 

"God, you can be so damn annoying!" 

"Thank you," 

"Arg!" 

"If you have to know, I'm meeting someone. Fair enough?" 

"Who would be crazy enough to agree to meet you?" 

"Oo, harsh Tsuzu. Maybe I won't tell you," 

"Well I'm meeting someone too, and I don't need you to ruin my day before I meet him!" 

Tsuzuki stalked away from Muraki angrily. Muraki simply shrugged. 

Muraki sighed, pulled out the directions his new E-partner had sent him, and kept going. "Which way to the Student Council's elevator…?" 

****** 

Touga stood by the door to the elevator, twirling a red rose with his fingers. 

"Where is he? I told him to be here by 1:00 and he's fifteen minutes late?" Touga wondered aloud. 

He heard footsteps coming his way. Looking up from his rose, he saw a white-haired man with glasses and a billowy white coat walking towards the elevator. 

'Must be him. Only Council members ever use this elevator and he's certainly not a council member. I guess he's kind of hot…' Touga thought, preparing himself. He stood up straight, waiting for the man to get closer. 

Once there, the man leaned next to the elevator door, and began to just stand there. 

'What is he doing? I'm right here!' Touga wondered. 

Suddenly, the man turned his head towards Touga and asked, "Have you seen a person named Akio Ohtori around by any chance?" 

Touga blinked, thoroughly confused, "Uh, not recently, no." Touga thought to himself, 'Damn! It's not him.' 

"He must be late then," the man sighed, turning his face towards the ground. 

"Did Akio promise to meet you here or something?" Touga asked, curious. 

"Yes, he did. He told me to be at this elevator by 1:00," the man answered, not looking at Touga. 

Touga laughed, "That's funny. I'm waiting for someone to be here by 1:00 as well. He's late too." 

The man raised an eyebrow, "Oh, who?" 

"Someone named Muraki Kazutaka. You know him?" Touga replied. 

The man stiffened. "That's me!!" 

"Wha?!?!" Touga yelled, accidentally pricking himself on his rose and dropping it. 

Muraki turned to Touga and gave him a good looking over. "If you're the one I'm supposed to meet… you don't look like your picture at all!" 

"What am I supposed to look like?!" 

"Brown skin, light purple hair, red dress shirt and purple tie!" 

"That's Akio!" 

"Then who the hell are you?!" 

"I'm Touga Kiryuu!" 

"I knew it! I knew it! I knew this My E-Partner thing wouldn't work! Forces are always working against my attempts to be happy! Always!" Muraki pounded the elevator door in anger. 

Touga stared at Muraki, confused. 

'If he's meeting me… then who's meeting Akio?!' 

****** 

Tsuzuki ran up the steps of Ohtori, silently cursing whoever had decided that the planetarium be near the top of the school. He huffed as he traversed the steps, and leaned against the doorframe when he finally reached the top. He caught his breath for a moment, then fell on his face in exhaustion. 

"Those… stairs… are… a bastard," he muttered into the floor. 

After a moment, he heard footsteps, and a pair of polished brown shoes stopped in front of his nose. 

"Well, you must be the one I've been waiting for. What the hell are you doing face down on the floor though?" asked a deep voice. 

Tsuzuki stood up and brushed himself off. He was face to face with a tall, slim man with brown skin and purplish hair tied back in a neat ponytail. The man wore a red dress shirt and a pair of perfectly pressed black pants. A purple tie completed the ensemble. 

"You must be Tsuzuki! Akio Ohtori. Pleased to meet you," Akio shook Tsuzuki's hand heartily. Tsuzuki simply stood there, confused. 

"If you're my E-partner, then you look a lot different from your picture," 

"Oh, don't play dumb with me!" Akio grinned and grabbed Tsuzuki by the wrist, dragging him back down the stairs. 

"Wh—Where are we going? You aren't Touga!" 

"What are you talking about? We'll talk it over in the Akio-car!" 

"What?!" Tsuzuki screamed as Akio pulled him down the stairs. 

****** 

"I can't believe this. Tsuzuki must have ended up with Akio!" Muraki narrowed his eyes, then sighed, "He's really starting to piss me off." 

'So that's what Akio was talking about when he said he was having a visitor,' thought Touga. 'Well, I wouldn't put it beyond him. There's always someone up there…' 

Muraki slammed the elevator again with a fist. 

"Damn… you… technology!" he cried, accentuating each word with a strike. 

Touga watched in slight amusement for a moment before retrieving his rose from the floor. He twirled it around in his fingers for a moment, and noticed that Muraki was staring intently at him. 

"What?" 

"Is that a rose you've got there?" 

"Yeah. What's so great about it?" 

"What do you mean what's so great?! I love roses!" Muraki ran up to admire the flower in Touga's hand, "I have thousands of flowers all over my place." 

Touga thought this over for a moment, then decided to make the best of the situation. 

"We have a rose garden here," Touga said, smiling behind his rose. "Would you perhaps be interested in seeing it?" 

****** 

"Isn't this thing great? The Akio-car can drive itself, you know." 

"Yeah, I can see that… Akio? Why are you taking off your shirt?" 

"Because it's hot up here, that's why. Hey, have you ever wanted to see the Ends of the World?" 

"Not particularly… Wh-What are you doing??…." 

****** 

Rob came over to Bob's station and admired his handiwork. 

"Well, to put it bluntly, I never thought you'd get it fixed." 

"What do you mean?" asked Bob. "I'm a whiz at this stuff!" 

"A whiz, huh? Who was it, then, who pushed the button before?" 

"Everyone makes mistakes," said Bob, a little hurt. 

"I guess so," Rob sighed and turned away. 

"So… Rob. Does this mean… I can come back to bed now?" 

Rob shook his head and grinned. 

"Yeah, I guess you've earned it." 

Bob cheered and ran for the bedroom at record speed. 


	3. Those Damn Stairs

tougamuraki3.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 3**

Anthy smiled, standing back to look at her work. The roses looked absolutely stunning, as always, and it was all thanks to her. She was about to move onto the next bush of roses when she heard the handle on the door of the rose garden turn. Hastily, she set down her materials in an out of the way place, and picked up the watering can. 

As she started watering, Touga walked in, holding the door for a man she had never seen before. Her curiosity was slightly piqued, but she didn't dwell on it, and continued watering the roses. 

"Well, what do you think, Muraki?" said Touga, extending an arm towards the roses. 

Muraki's eyes lit up and he reached out to touch the petals of a pink rose. He smiled, running his fingers over the soft petals. 

"This is absolutely gorgeous! How do you get your roses so healthy and radiant?" Muraki said happily. 

"That would be thanks to Anthy Himemiya. She volunteers to tend the roses," Touga replied, gesturing towards Anthy, who was still watering the same bush. 

Muraki grinned and looked over to Anthy. He said to her, "You've done a good job with these roses. I'm impressed." 

Anthy smiled and nodded, moving onto the next bush. 

"Um…" Muraki said, confused, "Is it all right if I have that pink one?" 

Anthy smiled and nodded, continuing on her bush. Muraki stared at her, and carefully plucked the pink rose. 

"She's not very talkative," explained Touga, moving to stand nearer to Muraki. 

"Oh…" said Muraki. 

Then Muraki put a finger to his lips, as if pondering something. Finally, he said, "I didn't even knew roses grew in these colors…" Muraki pointed to a rose with green petals. 

Touga sweatdropped. "That's our little secret. Yes, school secret. Can't give you the seeds, I'm afraid." 

Muraki raised a questioning eyebrow, but didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, he changed the subject. He turned back to Anthy and asked, "I'm looking for someone named Akio. He looks a lot like you." 

Anthy didn't say anything. 

"Are you related?" 

Anthy nodded. 

"Do you know where he is?" 

Anthy spoke for the first time, "He's normally in his planetarium, but I'm not positive he's there at the moment." 

Turning to Touga, Muraki asked, "Maybe I should go to the planetarium. I do have to meet my real E-partner." 

Touga was a little disappointed. This Muraki person seemed nice. But before he could say anything, Muraki continued. 

"But, I could use a good guide to help me get there…" 

Touga smiled, and led Muraki out of the rose garden. 

As soon as the two men had left, Anthy let out a sigh. Touga had helped keep the secret of the Ohtori roses. For now at least. Making sure no one was looking into the garden, Anthy retrieved her paint bucket and brushes, and continued her work. 

Hey, who said roses naturally grow green and purple? 

****** 

"WHY AM I STILL IN THIS CAR?! Please let me out… PLEASE!" 

"Oh, c'mon! No one gets out of the car until AFTER they've seen Ends of the World!" 

"I have already seen more than I ever wanted to, and I don't intend to see more. Not the Ends of the World, not ANYTHING!!" 

"Oh, be a sport… heheh…" 

"SOMEONE HELP!" 

****** 

Touga and Muraki walked around the campus and back towards the planetarium. The white-haired man tucked his rose neatly into a buttonhole on his coat as he walked, following Touga as he pointed out the various sights. 

"Now just past the Duel Forest are the gates. This is the main hall. A little crowded at this time of day, but there's not much we can do about that… some of the freshman classes…" Touga gestured to the students and the classrooms, giving detailed descriptions like a seasoned tour guide. Muraki listened intently, becoming interested. This Touga person was quite intelligent, besides being fairly good looking as well. 

"And here's the stairs to the planetarium," Touga said finally. Muraki looked up and felt his stomach drop. Touga cheerfully started climbing, motioning to Muraki to follow. 

"It's not as high as it looks; it's only about seven stories up!" 

"ONLY about seven stories?!" wondered Muraki, clinging to the rail. Touga climbed up the steps effortlessly, only pausing a few times to look back and check on Muraki, who was taking each step carefully as if it might be his last. Touga shook his head and grinned, going ahead as his counterpart followed at his heels, albeit slowly. 

****** 

"Here we are," Touga said triumphantly, throwing open the door to the planetarium. Behind him, Muraki slumped against the doorframe, his legs weak, taking huge breaths. Never before had he climbed such a stairway. It had to be one of the most horrible experiences in his life. Well, second to Tsuzuki running off all the time. 

"Akiooooo," called Touga, stepping into the room. Light filtered through into the room and lighted upon two white couches and a small end table with a bowl of roses on it. Muraki studied the furniture with interest as Touga hunted about, looking for any traces of life. 

"Do you see anything?" Muraki asked. Touga shook his head. 

"Nope. He's not here… But where—OH!" Touga suddenly smacked himself in the forehead. "I forgot. Akio ALWAYS takes the Akio-car out sometime during the day… I bet that's what he's doing! He's usually gone for quite a while, and—" 

"Great," Muraki muttered, sitting down on one of the couches with a muffled thump, "I come all the way here, get mixed up, and he's not here?!" 

"Well, it's not that bad being with me, is it?" asked Touga, slightly huffy. 

"It's just rather frustrating how everything's working out. At this rate I would have been better off staying home torturing someone." 

Touga sat down on the opposite couch and dropped his rose, sighing. 

"I guess we could just go back downstairs…" 

The look on Muraki's face told him that that wasn't an option. 

"Well, what do you expect me to do?!" Touga asked, miffed. Muraki didn't look at him, but pretended to be busy with his rose, annoyed. 

****** 

"Oh God, tell me this isn't happening." 

"Why do you keep saying that?" 

"Because I'm wishing this is all a bad dream. You, your shirt, being here…" 

"And the Akio-car?" 

"Especially the Akio-car…" 

****** 

There were a few moments of silence between Touga and Muraki. Finally Touga spoke up. 

"We could stay here and enjoy the comfort of Akio's planetarium, I suppose." 

Muraki looked very relieved and nodded a little too eagerly. 

Touga thought for a moment, then laughed. 

"What's so funny?" Muraki questioned. 

"You'd never cut it as a duelist, Muraki." 

"Say wha-- huh?" 

"A duelist. You'd never make it as one." 

"And why wouldn't I make a good 'duelist'?" 

"If you had trouble climbing up here, you'd pass out on the stairs up to the arena! I have experience with Ohtori's high stairs, and I still feel a bit out of breath at the top of those stairs." 

Muraki gave a little "hmph" sound. "I'd just need to get used to the stairs, that's all." 

Again, Touga laughed, "You don't like being told things that imply that you're weak, do you?" 

"No one does." 

"I know, but you take it more personally than others." 

Muraki folded his arms. "You can't just assume things about people like that." 

"I don't assume things, I figure them out." Touga smiled lasciviously. 

Muraki slowly unfolded his arms, and took the rose from his buttonhole. He began to swish it absently, staring at the soft pink petals and gracefully curved stem. 

As Muraki swished his rose, he suddenly found it blocked by another rose. A red rose. It was being held by Touga, who had risen from his seat on the opposite couch. Muraki just stared as Touga pushed Muraki's pink rose out of the way and jabbed him lightly in the chest with the end of the stem of his red one. 

"I win." 

Muraki turned his head down, trying to hide a blush. When was the last time he had blushed thinking about anybody other than Tsuzuki…? 

****** 

"Oh come off it, Tsuzu! The Ends of the World won't be that bad!" 

"YEEEESSSS IT WIIIIIIILLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!" 

****** 

As the Akio-car zoomed past the secret headquarters/secret dorms of Kakumei.com, Rob looked up from his… activities in the bed he shared with Bob. 

"Eh? What's wrong Rob?" 

"Did you just hear an evil red car going at insanely high speeds driving towards the Ends of the World?" 

"No." 

"Neither did I." 

****** 

Muraki stared at the rose stem that was poking him in the chest and slowly pushed it away from him, looking down at the floor for a minute and trying to hide a blush. Touga grinned and waved his rose around. 

"See? I told you you're not much of a duelist." 

"I don't think you fully realize who you're dealing with." 

"Oh, I don't, eh?" Touga frowned for a moment, as if in thought. Then, before Muraki could react, Touga swiftly swung the red rose around, slicing off the blossom of Muraki's pink one with the end of his stem. Petals fluttered to the floor in a flurry. Muraki gawked at the empty stem that he held in his hand. 

"…You…cut the top right off..!" 

"Of course. I am a great duelist, after all." 

"Oh, really?" 

Suddenly Muraki rose up from his seat on the couch, and Touga stepped back, caught off guard. As he stumbled backwards, Muraki rushed him, knocking him backward onto the other couch. As soon as Touga was down, Muraki stabbed forward with the rose stem and then lightly poked Touga in the chest with it.   
  
"Gotcha," he muttered with a smile. 

Touga looked down at Muraki's rose stem, then smirked. "You're very determined. I like that. You keep coming even after you've lost." 

"Lost? What do you mean?" Muraki's eyes narrowed at Touga. 

"Your rose was cut. That means I won according to the rules of the duels." Touga chuckled, "You're very much like my sister Nanami that way. She won't stop until she gets what she wants. Of course, she does it much more annoyingly than you do…" 

Muraki stared as Touga talked. Then a small ghost of a smile played at the side of his mouth. "How annoying is she?" 

Touga sat back down, this time next to Muraki. "She puts the Teletubbies to shame." 

"THAT bad?" 

"THAT bad. And she seems to have a thing for me." 

"But she's your SISTER!"   
  
"This is Ohtori Academy. Around here, that isn't exactly seen as strange…" 

Muraki shuddered. "What else isn't seen as strange around here?" 

"Well, we've already covered incest. What else is there? Oh yes. The duels, the Shadow Play Girls, Day-Glo pink hair, homosexuality, green and purple roses, monkey-mice, upside-down castles in the sky, overly puffy sleeves, and random spinning rose borders." 

"What are random spinning rose borders?" 

Touga stared at Muraki until a random spinning rose border (pink roses) appeared around Muraki. Muraki sweatdropped. 

"Okay, I get the idea! Make it stop!" 

Touga smiled, looked away, and when he looked back, the border was gone. 

Muraki sighed, trying to think of a way to restart the conversation. "You said upside-down castles in the sky weren't strange?" 

"Not at all." 

"May I ask why not?" 

Touga smiled. "It works better to show than to tell. Come on." 

Touga rose from his seat and offered a hand to Muraki. 

Muraki paled and looked to the staircase. "B-but…" 

"Did I say we were taking the stairs?" Touga winked and walked over to a closet Muraki hadn't seen before. Touga opened it and began rummaging. 

"Let's see… Dios costume… plush Chu Chu… rubber chic-- what is THAT doing in Akio's closet? Oh well… purple hair dye… home car maintenance kit… aha! There they are!" Touga smiled and came out of the closet carrying what appeared to be two backpacks. He handed one to Muraki and put the other one on his back. 

"What, may I ask, are these for?" Muraki questioned. 

"They're parachutes. Much better than taking the stairs!" Touga walked over to an open window and looked down. "This should be fun!" 

Muraki thought to himself, 'This Akio guy has everything… or at least his closet does.' 

"You coming?" Touga called. 

"Uh, hai! Hai!" 

"Now when you jump, count to ten and pull the cord. Got that?" 

Muraki nodded a little nervously, and walked up behind Touga. 

Touga pushed off the windowsill with a "GERONIMO!" and Muraki was right after him with a "NAVAHO!" In ten seconds, both of their parachutes opened, and they began floating down at a leisurely pace. 

"Wow! The view is incredible! And the feeling of floating is wonderful!" Muraki said happily, looking all around. 

"I knew you'd like it," said Touga, smiling at Muraki. Seeing Touga's smile, Muraki turned away to hide another blush. 

****** 

In another part of the school, bongo drums started up and two shadowy figures appeared on a rose patterned wall. 

"I wonder, I wonder! Do you know what I wonder?" said Shadow Play Girl A-ko, kicking off the skit. 

"Oh dear girl! What do you wonder?" asked Shadow Play Girl B-ko. 

A-ko lay in a large bed, snoring away. B-ko rode up on a (rather fake-looking) horse. 

"Here lies the fair maiden, asleep against her will! I shall awaken her with one soft kiss!" B-ko said dramatically. 

B-ko opened the glass case and leaned over A-ko, obscuring the kiss. A-ko suddenly sat up and looked at B-ko. 

"Hey, you're not my prince! He's not supposed to be here for another hundred years!" 

"Huh? Wait a minute, you're Sleeping Beauty! I'm looking for Snow White!" 

"Hmm… well I'm awake now, and that can't be all bad. Let's make the best of the situation!" 

"That sounds good to me!" 

B-ko loaded A-ko onto her (rather fake-looking) horse and rode off with her. 

As they rode off, they both exclaimed, "Can you make the best of a screwed up situation? You can! You can! You really can!" 


	4. Crappy Camping Trip

tougamuraki4.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 4**

Muraki and Touga landed with a soft whump at the edge of the Duel Forest. They abandoned their parachutes and Touga strode up to the gate with an air of immense confidence. Muraki looked around in confusion. The gate was one large carved white door with pools of water around it, and a large handle. He tried it; it was locked, and with no apparent way to get in. 

"How do you open it?" he asked. Touga smiled. He flashed a rose signet ring on one of his fingers at Muraki, then held his ring in front of the carved handle on the door. A drop of water hit the ring with a light "plip" and suddenly water started pouring from the sides of the door. The door slid open slowly, while inside, many strange looking sillouhettes danced. The sillouhettes gathered together, forming a giant rose, and underneath it there was a choice: either the stairs to the arena or a path into the woods. Muraki was agog. 

"That's amazing! You're telling me that's all done with that ring?" 

"Yes. Only those selected as duelists have these rings. They operate this door so we can get into the duels." Touga motioned for Muraki to follow him and started into the woods. "This way to the castle, Muraki." 

****** 

Akio finally stopped the Akio-car far back in the Duel Forest. He was grinning, his shirt ruffled and his hair mussed. In the front passenger seat, Tsuzuki looked equally frazzled, his eyes bloodshot. He thanked the gods for deliverance from the Akio-car horror, at least for a moment or two. Akio turned to Tsuzuki and laughed. 

"Look at you… Why so stressed?" 

"Don't talk to me," Tsuzuki said, his eyes wide and teeth grinding. 

"Don't be that way! I brought you here so we can have some fun!" 

"Fun…?" Tsuzuki's eyes popped. 

****** 

Touga and Muraki walked down a dimly lit path in the forest, Touga leading the way. 

As they walked, Muraki asked, "How is this a way to the castle? I saw stairs at the start of this walk." 

"It's a shortcut for those duelists that refuse to use the stairs. This way is much less stress-inducing." 

"That makes sense. What sort of shortcut is this though?" 

"If we keep following this path, we should end up at a secret escalator." 

Muraki sighed with relief. "That sounds much better than taking those stairs…" 

"It is. I'm surprised the Victor of the Duels herself hasn't discovered it yet." 

Before Muraki had a chance to reply, Touga stopped, listening for something. 

"What is it, Touga?" Muraki asked. Touga "ssh"ed him and kept standing there. 

"Do you hear that?" asked Touga quietly. 

Muraki listened intently. He did hear a very faint sound. It sounded like an engine revving down, and then screaming. 

"I hear it." Muraki replied softly. 

Touga continued just as quietly, " Come on, Muraki. We're taking a small detour." Touga grabbed Muraki by the hand and led him into the bushes on the side of the path. Carefully making their way through the bushes, they soon came upon a small clearing. In the middle of the clearing, an evil-looking red car was parked, and Akio Ohtori had Tsuzuki Asato pinned to the hood. Tsuzuki was yelling his head off, while Akio smirked and told him things too soft for Muraki and Touga to hear. 

"It's you!" Muraki pointed at Akio. The purple-haired man looked up abruptly, still holding down Tsuzuki. 

"Do I know you? I don't think I do," said Akio to Muraki. 

"You're my real E-partner." said Muraki. 

"I think you're mistaken. Tsuzuki is the only one I've received from My E-Partner." 

"OH GOD HELP ME! SAVE ME!!! ANYONE!!!" Tsuzu continued yelling. No one really paid attention to him. 

"Let me explain," Muraki began, "I sent you an e-mail, and Tsuzu must have sent Touga an e-mail. Somewhere along the way they got mixed up I think. I wound up with Touga, and you got Tsuzuki." 

Akio thought about this for a second, then said, "Well that would explain why Tsuzu seems so… reluctant." 

"So…?" Muraki asked. He spread his arms, waiting for an answer from Akio. 

Touga looked at the ground, rather disappointed that Muraki had to go. He was really starting to get used to and enjoy the doctor's company. 

"But I'm having so much fun with Tsuzu here." Akio stated, grinning evilly. 

"What?!" Muraki exclaimed. 

Touga looked up, eyes a little wider than usual. 

"WHAT??!!" Tsuzuki exclaimed louder. "No!!! I don't want to stay with him! Touga! Muraki! DO SOMETHING!!!!" Again, no one paid much attention to Tsuzuki. 

"You heard me. I'm having much more fun with Tsuzu. You go run along and do whatever it is you do for fun," said Akio, turning back to Tsuzuki. 

Muraki stuttered a few things, then angrily stomped off through the bushes again. Touga looked at Akio and Tsuzuki one last time, and followed Muraki. Once back on the path, Muraki just stood there, fuming to himself. Touga stood watching him. 

"And I thought this E-partner thing couldn't get any worse! Whenever I try to find something that will make me happy, it blows up in my face!" Muraki kicked some dirt up, and turned his head to the ground. He muttered to himself, "Doesn't anybody like me?" Suddenly, Muraki felt something warm on his shoulder. Muraki looked up to find Touga standing there, hand on Muraki's shoulder. 

"There is at least one person that likes you," said Touga. Muraki stared into Touga's eyes, not knowing what to say. The background around the two of them suddenly became very pink and sparkly, signifying the start of a mushy scene. 

"T-Touga…?" Muraki stuttered. A small tear droplet formed in Muraki's real eye. Touga slowly pulled Muraki closer, embracing him. Muraki returned the hug happily. 

Touga smiled and said, "Why don't we make the best of a screwed up situation?" 

Muraki nodded and answered softly, "I'd like that. I'd like that a lot." 

****** 

In another part of Ohtori, bongo drums started up and three shadowy figures appeared on a rose patterned wall. 

Shadow Play Girls A-ko and B-ko were jumping up and down with glee. Shadow Play Girl C-ko sat dejectedly on the ground. 

"We were right! We were right! Ha ha ha ha ha!" A-ko and B-ko jeered. 

C-ko grumbled, "All right, all right. So they got together. You were right, I was wrong, let's forget the whole bet ever happened…" 

A-ko held up a finger, shaking it, "Ah, ah, ah! You bet that Muraki was going to find Akio and get together with him! We bet he would choose Touga!" 

B-ko continued, "You lost fair and square! Now pay up!" 

"Oh all right…" C-ko muttered. She left the wall for a minute. Sounds of rummaging were heard, and C-ko came back carrying three large bags. 

"What is all that?" asked A-ko. 

"Marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers. I don't have any money to give you. This is all I have," C-ko explained. 

B-ko stroked her chin, thinking. Finally, she said, "They will do. Besides, I already know what they're useful for!" 

"What, what?" asked A-ko, putting a hand to her ear. 

"Helping us foreshadow the next bit of the story!" B-ko exclaimed, throwing her hands into the air. 

"Oh yeah!" A-ko squealed. 

C-ko stalked away, while A-ko and B-ko turned to the readers. 

In unison, they said, "Can sweets really be useful? They can! They can! They really can!" 

****** 

Nanami Kiryuu, Keiko Sonoda, Aiko Wakiya, and Yuuko Oose were somewhere in the middle of the Duel Forest, miserable. They sat cross-legged on the grass and were silent, all except Nanami of course, who was screaming and complaining as much as she could. 

"I don't believe you, Keiko!! I thought you were gonna bring the tent!!" 

"I'm sorry Nanami, but I forgot all about it on the way to—" 

"Forget it! YUUKO! Did you at least remember our sleeping bags?" 

"What?" Yuuko asked, staring blankly at Nanami. "I don't remember any…" 

"EEEERGH! Aiko, did you AT LEAST remember the s'more stuff?" 

Aiko revealed a small pouch of marshmallows, a bag of graham crackers, and some chocolate from out of a knapsack. She smiled nervously. 

"Well, yeah… It wasn't too hard to remember." 

Keiko sniffed and gingerly looked around and up into the trees. 

"I can't believe we have to sleep on the ground with all those ANIMALS…ick…" Nanami shot her an evil glance and she was silent. 

"At least I remembered the lighter and tinder so we could start a fire…" 

****** 

Touga and Muraki sneaked quietly around in the woods on the way to the escalator. Muraki wondered secretly why there was a reason for all this snooping around, but then Touga put a finger to his lips and said, "Shhhh… Nanami and her little cronies were supposed to be camping here tonight. She has no idea that I know where they are." They continued to sneak around until they came to a clearing where they saw the girls sitting around a fire complaining in loud voices. 

"Some camping trip," Touga muttered to himself. From the clearing they could hear Nanami yelling at everyone. 

"STOP BURNING THE DAMN MARSHMALLOWS, KEIKO!" 

"Yes, Nanami-sama." 

"AIKO, HURRY UP WITH THE CHOCOLATE!" 

"Yes, Nanami-sama." 

"YUUKO, STOP EATING THE CRACKERS!" 

"Yes, Nanami-sama." 

It continued like this for about three minutes straight while Touga and Muraki tried hard not to let their eardrums burst from the sheer screech of Nanami's voice. After a moment Touga smiled craftily and said, "You know how I said we should make the best of everything?" 

"Yes?" 

"Well… shall we crash their so-called party?" 

They sneaked into the clearing with barely a sound and walked over to the s'more supplies. Before any of the girls had noticed, they stole off with the ingredients, chuckling darkly all the way. 

****** 

Five minutes later… 

****** 

"HEY! WHO TOOK OUR S'MORE STUFF?!" 

****** 

Muraki and Touga ran out of the clearing with the bags of goodies, stopping only momentarily to catch their breath and laugh over what the girls were probably thinking. 

"Nanami can't stand it when things go wrong," Touga laughed. "She'll be at those girls' throats." He imitated his sister, saying in a high-pitched voice, "Oh Aiko, what did you do with our stuff? Oh Keiko, what did you see? Oh, Yuuko—" 

"Yeah, that was pretty clever, I have to admit," Muraki replied, grinning. "Where do you plan on stowing this stuff, anyway?" 

Touga smacked himself in the forehead. "Oh yeah, we were going to the castle, right? We can take it up there! C'mon, the escalator is just up ahead!" 

****** 

The ride on the escalator was rather uneventful. The pair reached the top of the escalator and trailed into the middle of a large platform that seemed to hang in the air. The night breeze blew past and stars shone high above. But more amazing than the stars was the castle suspended in the sky, a huge structure hung upside down in the heavens, in muted shades of pastel. Touga plunked himself down on the platform with the s'mores and stared up at it. Muraki simply stood and let his mouth drop. 

"Wow…" 

"Yes, it is beautiful. You should see the newbies when they come up here," Touga replied. He turned to Muraki and patted the floor next to him. Muraki walked over and sat down, looking up at the structure in the sea of stars. They both simply sat there for a moment. Then Muraki spoke. 

"Touga? About what you said earlier?… About 'at least one person liking me'…" 

"What about it?" 

"Did you really mean it, or were you just trying to make me feel better?" 

Touga smiled and turned to Muraki, his eyes sparkling. 

"Of course I meant it! I think you're quite likable, and I don't care what Akio thinks." The look on Muraki's face was priceless. He was stunned, speechless. Touga turned away for a moment, watching the castle again. Then he turned to Muraki and gave him a mischievous smile. The reverie was broken when he wagged the bags of s'more ingredients in front of Muraki's face. 

"Shall we figure out what to do with these s'mores?" 

****** 

Rob kept shifting in the bed, making Bob rather annoyed. 

"What is up with you, Rob? Why can't you just stay still?" 

"Agh! That noise, don't you hear it?!" 

"Hm… now that you mention it, I do hear something that sounds like high-pitched complaining." 

"It's coming from that Duel Forest next to us." 

"What do you propose we do about it?" 

Rob sat up suddenly, accidentally knocking over Bob. "Bob, to the lab!" 

As Rob rushed from the room, Bob rubbed his bottom where he had fallen on it. "Owies…" 

Bob wandered into the lab to find Rob (who was still very naked) looking intently into a computer monitor. Bob yawned and asked, "Watcha lookin' for?" 

"Come take a look," said Rob, motioning to Bob. Bob came over and took a look at the screen. On the screen was a live-feed video window that showed Nanami and her cronies all yelling at each other at the so-called "campsite". 

"Them again? I thought their last camping attempt scared them off for good." asked Bob. 

Rob nodded. 

"You gonna do the usual to 'em?" 

Rob nodded again. 

Bob shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll wait for you back in bed." 

Rob smiled evilly, and pressed a big green button. Lights flashed and buzzers wailed as a violently shaking box was sent down a long tube, heading for the Duel Forest… 

****** 

Nanami and her goons suddenly stopped their complaining when a box stamped with the Kakumei.com logo popped out of a hidden trapdoor in the ground. 

"No… not again…" Keiko, Aiko, and Yuuko breathed in unison, frightful of the box. The three of them immediately up and ran, leaving Nanami alone. 

"Hey, you can't leave me!" Nanami called after them. She was about to go after them, when the box gave a huge jolt. Nanami slowly turned her head to the box in terror. The lid popped open to reveal… squirrels. Lots and lots of rabid, people-eating squirrels. 


	5. Squirrels, S'mores, and Silliness

tougamuraki5.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 5**

"We could make the s'mores, but we don't have a fire to cook the marshmallows or melt the chocolate," said Muraki. 

"That's true… it's times like this I wish I were allowed up into the Castle of Illusion," said Touga, jerking his thumb up, "because with the size of that, there's got to be a couple fireplaces somewhere." 

"We could eat the ingredients raw…" Muraki suggested. 

"No way. This sort of stuff only tastes good when melted. Except for the crackers of course," said Touga. 

"We could eat the crackers." 

"Crackers aren't very romantic food." 

"Neither are marshmallows." 

"They can be if you know how to use them…" Touga gave an evil smirk. 

Muraki raised a questioning eyebrow. "Oh, really?" 

Touga nodded. After a few minutes of silence, he sighed and shrugged. 

"Maybe we should go back down to the forest. Grab some firewood, steal the girls' lighter, and find a clearing," Touga suggested. 

"I suppose that's all right. It'll be more fun that sitting up here with raw materials. Though, it will be kind of disappointing to leave this…" said Muraki, raising a hand towards the castle above. 

Touga put a hand on Muraki's, and said, "Don't worry. We'll come back another time." Touga gave Muraki a soft kiss on the lips and stood, ready to go. 

And Muraki seemed fairly happy with that. 

****** 

They had just descended the escalator when they heard the screams. 

"EEEEEK!! GET THEM AWAY! GET THEM AWAY! YEEEEAAAH!" 

Touga looked around for a moment, confused. Muraki turned to him and raised one eyebrow questioningly. Touga motioned for him to come closer and whispered, "That sounded like Nanami… and some kind of wild animal." Muraki went ahead and headed for the clearing, looking behind and gesturing for Touga to follow. 

"Take a look at that!" 

Touga walked over to the doctor's side and peeked through the bushes. It was Nanami all right, and she appeared to be being attacked by…rabid squirrels?   
It seemed too absurd to be true. Nanami was screeching and tossing squirrels left and right, rolling around on the grass as the fuzzy rodents jumped on her and squealed. 

"This would be entertaining if it weren't so disturbing," Touga muttered. They watched again for a minute before he shrugged and said, "Well, as long as she's busy, shall we go find that lighter and get some sticks?" 

****** 

Rob and Bob sat still in bed and listened. 

"Do you think it worked?" asked Rob, looking towards the tube. 

"I think I can hear something…" 

Sure enough, they could both hear muffled screaming through the tube. Bob grinned at Rob and they high-fived, then settled back and felt proud of their work. 

"We should do this more often…" 

****** 

Nanami was still fighting the squirrels as Muraki and Touga sneaked across the clearing. All was going well until Nanami caught sight of her brother and started screaming again. 

"TOUGA! Oh thank God! Come save me from the squirrels!" 

Touga looked at Nanami, then at Muraki, then at Nanami again. After a moment of deliberating he called, "HANG ON NANAMI! I'll come save you! I just need to find… uh… a weapon! Yeah, a weapon!" 

"HURRY UUUUP!" screamed his sister from under the mass of squirrels. Muraki and Touga swiftly sneaked around to the fire pit and grabbed the lighter and a bunch of sticks. Muraki looked at Touga and then back at the girl covered in squirrels. 

"Are you really going to save her?" 

"Ehhhh… nah. Let's just hightail it outta here." 

They ran across the campsite and back towards the woods, passing Nanami on the way. She looked happy, then her smile sank as the pair ran right past her. Without even offering her any help! At first she simply sat there. Maybe they would come back? 

When they disappeared into the woods, she started to panic. 

"Touga?… Mr. person who was with Touga?…" 

Silence, except for chittering teeth. 

"You can't leave me!" She started to whine. "Don't leave me here! Not with… THE SQUIRRELS!! AAAAAAAAAAA!" 

****** 

It didn't take long for Touga and Muraki to find a nicely-sized clearing that was also quite far away from Nanami's screams. Touga set down the load of sticks in the middle of the clearing and began arranging them. 

"Pass me the lighter Muraki." 

Muraki tossed Touga the lighter, who flicked it and set fire to neat pile of wood. In a few minutes, the fire was going steadily, and the two men were starting to open the bags of s'more stuff. 

"Touga?" asked Muraki, who was opening the bag of marshmallows. 

"What?" 

Muraki pulled a handful of marshmallows out of the bag. "You said a little while back that marshmallows can be romantic food if you know how to use them." 

Touga grinned and put a hand under his chin. "I do recall saying something along those lines, yes." 

"I was just wondering… would you care to show me what you meant?" 

Touga grinned and he reached for some marshmallows himself. He picked up a good sized stick, and stuffed five marshmallows on the end. 

"First, we need to melt them," said Touga, holding the marsh-ka-bob over the flames. 

Muraki was confused. "Melt? You mean roast, don't you?" 

"No, I mean melt. That's what happens to them if you leave them over the fire too long. Oh sure, the outside is charred to a crisp, but the inside is what we're after. The inside of these light, fluffy treats will turn into a gooey, white paste." explained Touga. 

Muraki was still puzzled, but nodded as Touga continued. 

"Do you happen to have a container or a bowl handy, by any chance?" asked Touga. 

"All that the girls had was this package of paper plates," said Muraki, holding up the plates for Touga to see. 

Touga looked at the package, and nodded a little. "They will do, I guess." He handed the bag of marshmallows back to Muraki with one hand, still holding his marsh-ka-bob over the fire with the other hand. "You take some marshmallows, and we'll have more of the stuff faster. If they catch on fire, don't worry about it. That'll make them better. I'd say to leave them hanging over the fire for about, oh, ten or fifteen minutes." 

Muraki nodded, taking some marshmallows and making his own marsh-ka-bob to hold over the fire. 

****** 

Fifteen minutes later… 

****** 

Touga pulled his blackened marshmallows out of the campfire and blew out the small flames on them. Muraki did likewise. 

"These may be a little hot, but a little pain now equals a lot of pleasure later," said Touga, doing his best not to wince as he touched the charred skin of a marshmallow, and pulled it open. White ooze dribbled out from inside, and Muraki pulled out a paper plate to catch the ooze before it fell on the ground. Touga did this to his other four marshmallows, and Muraki's. All the marshmallow filling was enough to fill the plate. 

"Now what?" asked Muraki, staring at the goo they had created. 

Touga grinned again. "Now we add the chocolate." 

"The chocolate?" 

"Yes, the chocolate. Set the marshmallow guts next to the fire so that they don't harden, while I get to work on melting the chocolate." 

"Melt the CHOCOLATE?! We need that solid chocolate for the s'mores!" 

"For the s'mores I have in mind, you need to melt the chocolate." 

Muraki sweatdropped, and set the white goo next to the fire. 

Somehow (after many failed attempts) Touga managed to get five pieces of the chocolate on the stick where the marshmallows had been, and Touga told Muraki to do the same. It didn't take as long for the chocolate to melt as the marshmallows, and Touga practically fell over trying to grab a plate to catch the chocolate ooze. Again, Touga and Muraki's combined chocolate filled up the plate. Touga set the plate of brown goo next to the plate of white goo, then turned back to Muraki. 

"It's almost time for the romantic part," said Touga, pulling Muraki close. 

"I still don't quite understand why we needed to melt the stuff. Don't tell me we need to melt the crackers too!" 

"Oh, no. The crackers just need to be crushed." 

"Crushed?" 

"You'll see what I mean when we're done. Right now, I need you to take off your clothes. Or at least your coat and shirt." 

"Why do you need me to do that?" 

Touga let go of Muraki and began opening his own jacket. "It's essential for what we're going to do." 

Suddenly, something clicked in Muraki's brain. He grinned wide, and pulled off his coat and shirt. "I think I've figured out where you're going with this…" 

"And you still want to do it?" 

"I do. Oh, I do." 

****** 

Nanami's cronies crept back into the clearing slooowly, peeking over some bushes and calling out softly to Nanami. 

"N…Nanami-sama? We're sorry we ran away… Are you…?" 

Aiko gasped as she spotted Nanami in the middle of the clearing, covered in squirrels. The little chattering creatures skittered off quickly and the girls gasped as they watched Nanami sit up, covered in squirrel bites and scratches from little claws. She slowly turned around and stared at her runaway cronies. The girls froze in horror. 

"Girls… I need to talk with you…" Nanami said, motioning them forward. 

****** 

Touga chuckled as he grabbed the plates of chocolate and marshmallow. Muraki sat next to the fire and grinned, waiting for what Touga had in store. Touga dipped his hand into the chocolate and smiled at Muraki. 

"Now, we start to have fun…" 

He slathered the chocolate across Muraki's chest, humming to himself as he did. Muraki was slightly shocked by the feeling of the warm, sticky stuff oozing over him, but then he started to enjoy it. 

"See, this is the kind of s'more I was talking about," he said cheerfully. "Everyone knows the best kind is the human kind." 

Muraki nodded and purred deep in his throat. Touga took that as an agreement and started to rub in the chocolate with a huge smile on his face. 

"Now, shall we try some of that marshmallow?…" 

****** 

The three girls with Nanami crashed through the underbrush, screaming. 

"WE'RE SORRY NANAMI-SAMA! REEEEALLY!" 

"Oh YEAH?! Show me how sorry you are… quit running like a bunch of cowards!"   
  
The girls squealed and apologized as they attempted to outrun Nanami, but the squirrel-bitten young woman wouldn't have any of it. 

"I'll feed all three of you to the SQUIRRELS!" 

"UWAAAAAHHHH!" they cried, and went even faster, fear nipping at their heels. 

****** 

"Bob?" asked Rob, jumping out of bed, alert. 

"Yeah?" 

"Did you hear more screaming…?" 

"Stop doing that, Rob!!" Bob muttered, and promptly snapped, "Now shut up and get back into bed!" 


	6. Beyond the Fourth Wall

tougamuraki6.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 6**

Dipping a free hand into the marshmallow goop, Muraki swirled his hand around in it for a bit before pulling it out and rubbing across Touga's chest. Touga smiled, continuing with the chocolate on Muraki's chest. 

"You're quite good at this, for a beginner," said Touga, taking his hand away from Muraki's chest and studying his handiwork. 

"You're not so bad yourself," Muraki commented, working the marshmallow goo into interesting cloud-like patterns. 

**Deep as you go, I'll follow**   
**Deep as the water goes**   
**All the world is hollow and dry**   
**But you and I go down**   
**You and I go down**

Touga and Muraki looked around, searching for the source of the sudden music. Unable to find it, they shrugged and looked at each other. 

"Shall we have a taste test?" suggested Muraki, gesturing to his chest. 

"That would be most fun," Touga replied, moving in towards Muraki. He, fell to his knees, pulled the white-haired man's chest down to his face, and let his tongue wander out of his mouth and onto the chocolate covered skin. 

**Far as you want to take me**   
**Far as your eyes can see**   
**Leave the world alone in the sky**   
**You and I go free**   
**You and I are free**

Touga looked up, again looking for the source of the music. He grumbled in annoyance. 

"Aren't you going to continue?" pouted Muraki. 

"Uh, hai, hai…" said Touga, shaking his head and going on with his actions. Muraki moaned as Touga licked some chocolate off of his nipple. Touga smiled, knowing he had found something very pleasurable for Muraki. His tongue moved over, licking off the chocolate of the other nipple, and staying there to tease it for a moment. 

**Don't save me**   
**Don't lose me**   
**Don't wake me now**   
**You let me**   
**You release me**   
**Let me drown**   
**Take me down**

The two men ignored the music this time, deciding mentally that they wouldn't let it bother them anymore. Touga took a finger, and swirled it around in the chocolate. The pattern he made soon began to resemble the one on the Rose Seal (which he was still wearing… go figure…) if the Rose Seal were drippy and bent out of shape. Muraki couldn't help but giggle, since Touga's finger was tickling him. 

**Promise to take me with you**   
**Promise to let me go**   
**All the world is waiting to see**   
**As you and I go down**   
**You and I are free**

Sucking the chocolate off his finger, Touga went back to licking the chocolate off Muraki's chest, going along the outside of the Rose Seal design with his tongue. Muraki was moaning and giggling at the same time, for while it was a 'moan-worthily' pleasurable experience, he was also 'giggle-worthily' ticklish. 

When all the chocolate was gone, Touga burped. Muraki laughed heartily. 

"I had no idea such a refined person could belch!" 

"You try being an upperclassman without burping any of the time. I have to let one or two go every now and then." 

Muraki just continued to laugh. 

"Maybe I should get to those marshmallows." 

Touga and Muraki gladly swapped positions. 

**Don't save me**   
**Don't lose me**   
**Don't wake me now**   
**You let me**   
**You release me**   
**Let me drown******

Instead of licking, like Touga had done, Muraki place his lips on the marshmallowy ooze and began sucking. Taken by surprise, Touga tried to stifle a moan, but was quite unsuccessful. Smirking at his first victory, Muraki continued, kissing his way through the marshmallow guts, Touga purring all the way. 

**I wanna be completed**   
**I wanna disappear**   
**I wanna be uncovered**   
**Take me down**   
**Take me down**   
**Let me drown**

Feeling somewhat unsatisfied with just the marshmallow sitting on Touga's chest, Muraki moved away, searching for something near the plates. 

"Muraki, what are you looking for?" 

"Just a minute." 

"Well, could you hurry? This marshmallow is starting to drip down…" 

Turning around, Muraki could see that the white stuff was indeed falling down Touga's chest and down to… Muraki blushed, naughty thoughts entering his head. Quickly, he grabbed his prize and settled back into position. 

**Somehow I need to love you**   
**More than I need to breathe**   
**I can feel you leaving the ground**   
**I will follow you down**   
**You and I will drown**

Muraki took the graham crackers he had gathered and crushed them in his hands. 

"Lay down on your back," said Muraki, in a commanding tone. Touga all to gladly complied. Muraki held the crushed crackers over Touga's chest and let them fall onto the marshmallow, making a very artistic (and tasty-looking!) effect. 

Bending over Touga, Muraki lowered his mouth, and flicked his tongue in and out repeatedly, catching both marshmallow and cracker crumbs at the same time. Touga breathed slowly, taking in the feeling of it all. 

**Don't save me**   
**Don't lose me**   
**Don't wake me now**   
**You let me**   
**You release me**   
**Let me drown**

Before Muraki could finish off the last section of the mix, Touga pulled him down, causing their fronts to contact. Touga captured Muraki's lips in a s'more flavored kiss, which Muraki returned more than willingly. 

When the two pulled apart, Muraki came away with some of the marshmallow and graham cracker on his chest. 

"Oh, you got all messy because of me! Let me help you with that!" said Touga, leaning forward. 

Muraki's mind went *ZING* at that. 

**Don't save me**   
**Don't lose me**   
**Don't wake me now**   
**You let me**   
**You release me**   
**Let me drown**   
**Take me down******

**Take me down**

****** 

Later, when they have their clothes back on… 

****** 

"That was… sweet!" panted Muraki, flopping down on the ground next to the dying fire. 

"In more ways than one," Touga agreed, laying down next to Muraki. 

"I only have one question though." 

"Hm?" 

"Where did that music come from?" 

"Beats me." 

"It didn't even seem to fully fit the situation, did it?" 

"Not entirely, no. " 

"Where did it come from, though…?" 

"Do you suppose one of the authors is responsible?" 

"Maybe…" 

Suddenly, there was a cracking sound heard from above. Touga and Muraki looked at each other, nodded, and began climbing up a tall tree. Soon, Touga's head hit something invisible. 

"Ow!" 

"What did you hit?" 

"The fourth wall, I think." 

The cracking noise became a violent shuddering, and the fourth wall broke, revealing the faces of two girls, Dai and Amanda. They both sweatdropped as their puppets stared up at them. 

"Okay, which one of you is responsible for the music?" asked Touga, eyeing Amanda first. 

Amanda shook her head, pointing at Dai. Muraki looked up at Dai, whose sweatdrop grew. 

"Okay, so I have October Project on the brain. So what?" said Dai. Touga and Muraki breathed out mushroom clouds. Then Dai cleared her throat and yelled, "GET BACK DOWN THERE AND ACT LIKE GOOD LITTLE BORROWED CHARACTERS!!!!" 

Quickly, Touga and Muraki shimmied back down the tree. When they looked up, they saw Dai frantically holding pieces of the fourth wall together with her hands, waiting for Amanda to help her. 

****** 

In another part of Ohtori, no bongo drums played, but two shadowy figures were still seen on a rose patterned wall. 

Shadow Play Girls A-ko and B-ko were laying on the ground naked, their shadowy clothes strewn about. A-ko lay on top of B-ko, her head in B-ko's breasts. The two looked up, screamed and scrambled to get their clothes on. 

"What's the big idea, coming to our wall uninvited?!" B-ko yelled at the readers. 

"They must be here so that Muraki and Touga can have a break. Their last bit was pretty long," reasoned A-ko. 

"SO?!?! THEY KNOW THAT WE'RE BUSY WHEN NOT DOING THOSE DAMN SHADOW PLAYS, SO THEY SHOULD STAY AWAY!!!!!" 

"But they don't know." 

B-ko sweatdropped. "Oh." 

A-ko turned to the readers. "Soooo… how long do you guys wanna stay here?" 

B-ko grumbled, "Not long I hope." 

"Wait! I know how to make them go away!" 

"How? How?!" 

"End the scene like a skit!" 

"Sounds good to me!" 

In unison, A-ko and B-ko cried, "Could you leave us alone? You must! You must! You really must!!" 

****** 

The woods around the encampment lay silent, the screaming of the girls strangely muted. Suddenly there was a soft chittering noise. At first it was rather quiet, a faraway sound, but then it increased until eventually it was like hearing ten thousand little teeth gnashing. 

"Nanami-sama… What are you doing with…" 

"Shut up and stay put!" 

"No…Not the…" 

"Squirrels!" 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" 

****** 

Amanda looked up from her computer and studied the pieces of the fourth wall being held together by a very stiff Dai, then grumbled and went to fetch her duct tape. 

"_Norou kompyuta_," she growled, and set about mending the wall. 

****** 

"Touga?" 

"Yes, Muraki?" 

Touga and Muraki sat under the tree they had climbed earlier, studying the sky with interest. Muraki narrowed his eyes as he looked at it. 

"I was just wondering… where the hell did that fourth wall come from?" 

"It's always there. Usually you just can't see it. When it becomes unstable then it becomes visible," Touga replied, smiling craftily. "When you're pondering if the authors did something to you, that sucker just breaks." 

"Oh really?… I wonder if the authors ever intended that to—" 

Suddenly the sky gave a huge rumble and started to shake violently. Instead of fully opening, the fourth wall began to open on one end but abruptly stopped. This caused a large chunk of fourth wall to come hurtling down from the sky and hit the ground, creating a rather large crater. Amanda poked her head out of the hole and looked extremely annoyed. 

"STOP THAT! WE JUST FIXED THIS STUPID WALL!… Aiiya…" 

And she began to duct tape over the hole as Touga and Muraki stared, shocked. 


	7. Closing Narrations

tougamuraki7.html **You Want S'more? -- Chapter 7**

In a classy, flowery room, Dios sat in an armchair, delicately sipping a cup of tea. When he noticed the readers' presence in the room, he abruptly sat up, causing the tea to spill and stain his nice white suit. His eyes widened in shock, looking down at the stain. Quickly, he pulled his cape in front of him to cover the stain. He looked out at the readers, smiling warmly. After a few minutes of smiling, Dios opened his mouth and… said nothing. He closed his mouth again, continuing to smile. From offstage, a long pole poked his arm. Dios ignored it, still smiling. Finally, Watari stomped into the room, and gave Dios a bonk on the head. 

"Baka! You're supposed to be narrating how it all ends!" Watari shouted, shaking a finger at Dios. 

The Rose Prince looked up at Watari, hurt. 

Watari's face softened. "Aw, I'm sorry koi. I can't stay mad at you. I'll never be able to praise My E-Partner enough for bringing us together! It's just that your non-verbal communication thing can get so annoying sometimes!" 

Dios turned away from Watari and crossed his arms. 

"Fine! Be that way! I'll do it myself! But you know what this means…" Watari narrowed his eyes at Dios. 

Dios' eyes widened, and he turned back to Watari, shaking his head 'no' vigorously and clasping his hands in front of him. 

"Oh fine, I won't abstain from you tonight. But you have to at least hold the picture boards," Watari conceded. 

Dios smiled, giving Watari a peck on the cheek, and grabbed a stack of pictures. The first one was of Muraki and Touga, both eyeing a can of strawberry frosting in a candy store. 

"And so, Muraki and Touga's screwed up situation had become one of the sweetest relationships you could imagine, in more ways than one! They had many more adventures, in both Touga's world and Muraki's," Watari narrated. 

Dios dropped the Touga and Muraki picture to the floor, revealing the next picture. This one was of Nanami and her cronies. They were all running from the rabid squirrels, and also from some weird pink, large-teethed bunny things. 

"Eventually, those rabid squirrels were joined by a herd of wild Tokomon, making Nanami and Co.'s situation even more dire. It took them two weeks of non-stop running, but they finally escaped the Duel Forest and vowed never to go camping again," Watari narrated. 

Dios dropped the Nanami and Co. picture to the floor, revealing the next picture. This one was of Rob and Bob. Bob was sitting in Rob's lap, and Rob was trying to reach around Bob to continue his work on the computer they sat in front of. 

"Rob and Bob made sure nothing at Kakumei.com ever went wrong again. And you know what that means… no more waiting on lovin' for them!" Watari smiled after narrating that bit. 

Dios dropped the Rob and Bob picture to the floor, revealing the next picture. This one was of a rose patterned wall. A-ko and B-ko were nowhere to be seen. 

"A-ko and B-ko still continued their job as eerie foreshadowers of events to come, but they opted for more breaks, giving them time for more 'pleasurable' activities. They wished not to be interrupted when this picture was taken," narrated Watari, sweatdropping. 

Dios dropped the rose wall picture to the floor, revealing the next picture. This one was of Akio and Tsuzuki. The two of them were in the Akio car, and both very naked. Tsuzuki was struggling to get away, but he couldn't escape Akio's fierce grip. 

"Tsuzuki managed to get away from Akio after a couple years. When Tsuzu got back to Meifu, Hisoka was more than happy to see him, having missed him over the years. Then he called Tsuzu a baka again and stomped off as if nothing had happened. Needless to say, things went a little smoother between them from then on. And Akio… he's still Akio. That's all the information you really need…" narrated Watari. 

Dios dropped the Tsuzuki and Akio picture to the floor, revealing the next picture. This one was of Dai and Amanda. Dai sat at her computer in Canada, and Amanda sat at her computer in the U.S. 

"Dai and Amanda managed to fix the fourth wall. Duct tape does wonders for those sort of jobs. That didn't stop the wall from breaking in the future though. But they were just happy to get their fics out, not thinking of the fourth wall as much," Watari narrated. 

Dios dropped the Dai and Amanda picture to the floor, and that was the last one. He clapped his hands together, and looked at Watari hopefully. Watari smiled cutely at him. 

"Okay, the boring ol' narration is over! Now lets go have our happy ending!" said Watari happily. Dios grinned wide and glomped onto Watari's back. They both headed off to a room in the Castle of Illusion that had an over-sized bed and had their 'happy ending'.   


OWARI 

Or is it…? 

Saionji Kyouichi sat at his computer, intrigued by the website in front of him: www.My-E-Partner.com. He was looking at one profile in particular…__

_Konnichiwa!!! ^^___

_I am blonde, beautiful, talented, super-powered, and above all, single! I own a cat, though, so don't contact me if you're allergic. ^^;; Anyhow, if you're lonely and in dire need of a good time, e-mail me at sailorvenus@silvermillenium.net, and I'll come give you a good time!___

_Thankies for reading my dinky 'lil profile!___

_Aino Minako_

Saionji smiled, clicking his e-mail icon…   


OWARI FOR REAL!! WE MEAN IT THIS TIME!!!!   


AN: If you have any questions about this fic, or about our sanity in general, please e-mail us! Amanda is at mecha_gundam_zero@yahoo.com and Dai is at ecdearden@home.com 


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